1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to tools for cleaning leaves and other debris from gutters.
2. General Background
Leaves and other debris often clog gutters, blocking water flow, and preventing the gutter from properly performing. Devices have been developed to help clear debris from gutters, ranging from very simple tools to complex vacuum-operated devices.
However, conventional gutter cleaning tools often fail to take into account the gutter strut or nail that attaches the gutter to the building. Conventional gutter tools can adequately pull or drag debris along the length of the gutter. But when they encounter the gutter strut, conventional tools must be lifted out of the gutter and placed on the opposite side of the strut, thus leaving stranded debris under the strut. This stranded debris can block the flow of water through the gutter.
Also, many conventional gutter tools are awkward or difficult to operate. For instance, the gutter tool described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,194,780 to Dilley is designed to address the problem of gutter struts, but is awkward to use because of the shape and orientation of its debris-trapping paddles. Thus, there is a need for a tool that can be easily operated by a person working at, above, or even below the level of the gutter.
Relatedly, there is a need for a gutter cleaning tool that fits easily in the gutter. Past gutter tools have been sized to conform exactly to the dimensions of the gutter, making insertion of the tool into the gutter difficult. See Dilley at FIG. 3.